Globe forms tower building arm to improve signal

Telecommunications firm Globe Telecom announced that it is in the process of incorporating an independent company that would expedite the installation and deployment of cellular towers to further improve communication services in the country.

?As a major industry player, we understand what this country needs to improve the internet experience of our customers. Putting up more towers based on global standards within strategic areas will make spectrum use more efficient. We should work together and find all means to supplement the build for towers — either through telcos or tower companies. This in turn will bring us closer to first-world internet connectivity,” Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu said in a statement Friday.

Once approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Globe will divest all its tower assets in favor of the newly-established tower company. Towers built by the company may also be leased to existing and new telcos to further improve their services amid government efforts to encourage the entry of a new player in the industry.

The lack of cell towers has been identified as one of the barriers to the slow and costly internet services currently being experienced in the country.

“This initiative will help accelerate the deployment of more cellular towers in the Philippines and foster competition,” said Cu.

For its part, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced Thursday that it has released guidelines governing the common tower policy for telcos.

The DICT hopes to accredit up to two independent tower companies by the first quarter of next year, followed by a six-month building period.

The government is also considering making available 2,000 towers controlled by the now-defunct Telecommunications Office.

The Philippines has one of the lowest tower densities in the world with less than 20,000 towers serving 100 million people. Approximately 50,000 more towers should be built to serve the current voice and data traffic. (PNA)